Monkey magic: Chinese animation studios take Journey to the West, adapt standards to keep overseas children in the picture
Cartoon markers on the mainland are no longer satisfied with just the domestic market, but they have to reconcile two different sensibilities about what is suitable material for young audiences
China’s animation studios are increasingly targeting overseas markets, cleaning up their cartoons where needed to meet foreign rules for content aimed at children, industry experts say.
The comments were made on the sidelines of the China Licensing Expo, which wrapped up in Shanghai last week.
Shan Xiaodong, marketing supervisor at Beijing-based Jinding Animation Studio, said the company was considering taking its latest work, Tales from Journey to the West, globally.
“I have talked with many potential domestic or foreign partners about licensing, including a world-renowned cartoon distributor which has been the agent for Walt Disney in the international market for years,” Shan told the South China Morning Post.
He said his company was familiar with rating rules for cartoons in Western countries and took them into consideration when creating new content.
“For example, in the novel [Journey to the West] there is cannibal element – monsters all want to eat Tang Monk’s flesh hoping to live forever. We delete those plot elements because they are not acceptable in foreign countries if we are targeting children there,” Shan said.